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^ 


J  1  iiftffi  W^'5^^l«' 


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V\!T:)coft>arr\ 


m  \\WiMm 


Cofjright,  igig,  hj  Gtorge  ff^harttn  Edwards 
All  Right  I  Rtitrvtd 


T-ZGe, 


or 


>S.  .A.  .^. 


Uffe  maer  C^rf^cis  a9eo 
'  eonscienf/ae  J//wa/zi^ 

'#  eerafio  eamfa/e/0'erey^ 

eiem  eon(ra6eref^  omJiem 

ai?ersarefaf;pec  affip/i'us  croetf" 

aretipenr)cej)r6Bferea  el  defi^ueSanl^^ 
el'CUisj?e/?aa/iJ^  om/resfaeelihsin'- 
lerxnitfi%  etiram  waeer  qp/tarultzif 

omnes  e/asmiJerefyeere^f' 

^TuTJc  affaJ'd'aeerdoh^tupma/f' — ' 
^ct^ptf  at ^un^us/arem  af^o/pere^f^ 
quo^eto^  Chrms,  ozfr/f£6a<p  jjjip^ 

pn^hnam  cramfcitemreeaperai^if^. 
(p:^^^^C^eI/ni^t  OrD.  Ccsferc) 


5 


25G56 


m>is&ssmay^ 


Sat  on 

the  Cardinal's  chair ! 
Bishop,  and  abbot,  and 

prior  were  there ; 
Many  a  monk,  and  many  a  friar, 
Many  a  knight,   and  many  a 
squire, 

With  a  great  many  more  of  lesser  degree,  — 
In  sooth,  a  goodly  company ; 
And  they  served  the  Lord  Primate 
on  bended  knee. 
Never,  I  ween, 
Was  a  prouder  seen, 
Read  of  in  books,  or  dreamt  of  in  dreams. 
Than  the  Cardinal  Lord  Archbishop  of  Rheims! 


[I] 


^^' 


<^^PP2^«90r[G 


;v 


Through  the  motley  rout, 
That  Uttle  Jackdaw  kept 

hopping  about ; 
Here  and  there, 
Like  a  dog  in  a  fair. 
Over  comfits  and  cates, 
And  dishes  and  plates. 
Cowl  and  cope,  and  rochet  and  pall. 
Mitre  and  crosier !  he  hopp'd  upon  all ! 


[3] 


JLGjlI  a  saucy  air, 
He  perch'd  on  the  chair 
Where,  in  state,  the  great 
Lord  Cardinal  sat 
^  In  the  great  Lord  Cardinal's 
great  red  hat; 
And  he  peer'd  in  the  face 
Of  his  Lordship's  Grace 
With  a  satisfied  look,  as  if  he  would  say, 
"  We  Two  are  the  greatest  folks  here  to-day ! " 
And  the  priests,  with  awe, 
As  such  freaks  they  saw. 
Said,  "  The  Devil  must  be  in  that  little 
Jackdaw ! ! " 


[5] 


£I&  r&lHS'5  Was  over, 
the  board  was  clear'd, 
The  flawns  and  the  custards 

had  all  disappear'd, 
And  six  little  Singing-boys,  — 
dear  little  souls ! 
In  nice  clean  faces,  and  nice  white  stoles, 
Came,  in  order  due, 
Two  by  two, 
Marching  that  grand  refectory  through  ! 
A  nice  little  boy  held  a  golden  ewer, 
Emboss'd,  and  fiU'd  with  water,  as  pure 
As  any  that  flows  between  Rheims  and 

Namur, 
Which  a  nice  little  boy  stood  ready  to  catch 
In  a  fine  golden  hand-basin  made  to  match. 


[7] 


"^OKICfe  Little  boys, 

rather  more  grown, 
Carried  lavender-water,  and 
eau  de  Cologne ; 
[  And  a  nice  little  boy  had  a 
nice  cake  of  soap, 
Worthy  of  washing  the  hands  of  the  Pope. 
One  little  boy  more 
A  napkin  bore, 
Of  the  best  white  diaper,  fringed  with  pink. 
And  a  Cardinal's  Hat,  mark'd  in  *'  permanent 
ink." 


[9] 


m  6MHI 


Lord 
Cardinal  turns  at  the  sight 
Of  these  nice  little  boys 

dress'd  all  in  white: 
From  his  finger  he  draws 
His  costly  turquoise ; 
And,  not  thinking  at  all  about  little  Jackdaws, 
Deposits  it  straight 
By  the  side  of  his  plate, 
While  the  nice  little  boys  on  his  Eminence 

wait; 
Till,  when  nobody 's  dreaming  of  any  such 

thing, 
That  little  Jackdaw  hops  off  with  the  ring ! 


["] 


5alH&RV&-fl  CK2  And  a 

^  f      shout, 

And  a  deuce  of  a  rout, 
And  nobody  seems  to  know 
what  they  're  about, 

•' "^   But  the  monks  have  their 

pockets  all  turn'd  inside  out; 
The  friars  are  kneeling. 
And  hunting,  and  feeling 
The  carpet,  the  floor,  and  the  walls,  and  the 
ceiling. 
The  Cardinal  drew 
Off  each  plum-colour'd  shoe, 
And  left  his  red  stockings  exposed  to  the  view ; 


[13] 


O*  X  &  %>  Jt  5p^  And  he 

feels 
In  the  toes  and  the  heels ; 
They  turn  up  the  dishes, 
—  they  turn  up  the 
1^  ^wi  J  ,,m^^  ^      plates,  — 
They  take  up  the  poker  and  poke  out  the 
grates, 
—  They  turn  up  the  rugs, 
They  examine  the  mugs :  — 
But,  no  !  —  no  such  thing  ;  — 
They  can't  find  THE  RING  ! 
And  the  Abbot  declared  that,  "  when  nobody 

twigg'd  it, 
Some  rascal  or  other  had  popp'd  in,  and 
prigg'd  it !  " 


[  15  1 


S[&  CaSS>mtrk  Rose 

with  a  dignified  look, 
He  call'd  for  his  candle,  his 
bell,  and  his  book  ! 
[  In  holy  anger,  and  pious 
grief. 
He  solemnly  cursed  that  rascally  thief! 
He  cursed  him  at  board,  he  cursed  him  in  bed ; 
From  the  sole  of  his  foot  to  the  crown  of  his 

head ; 
He  cursed  him  in  sleeping,  that  every  night 
He  should  dream  of  the  devil,  and  wake  in 

a  fright ; 
He  cursed  him  in  eating,  he  cursed  him  in 

drinking. 
He  cursed  him  in  coughing,  in  sneezing,  in 

winking ; 
He  cursed  him  in  sitting,  in  standing,  in  lying ; 
He  cursed  him  in  walking,  in  riding,  in  flying. 
He  cursed  him  living,  he  cursed  him  dying ! — 
Never  was  heard  such  a  terrible  curse  ! ! 
But,  what  gave  rise 
To  no  little  surprise, 
Nobody  seem'd  one  penny  the  worse ! 

[17] 


That's  him.  . 


iit>  ^jfVS  Was  gone, 

^f  The  night  came  on, 

The  Monks  and  the  Friars 


i. '  '      they  search'd  till  dawn ; 
When  the  Sacristan  saw, 
*  On  crumpled  claw, 
Come  limping  a  poor  little  lame  Jackdaw ! 
No  longer  gay. 
As  on  yesterday ; 
His  feathers  all  seem'd  to  be  turn'd  the  wrong 

way;  — 
His  pinions  droop'd,  — he  could  hardly 

stand, — 
His  head  was  as  bald  as  the  palm  of  your 
hand  ; 
His  eye  so  dim. 
So  wasted  each  limb, 
That,  heedless  of  grammar,  they  all  cried, 
"That's  him!  — 


[  19] 


that  has  done  this  scandalous 
thing ! 
\  That 's  the  thief  that  has  got 

my  Lord  Cardinal's  Ring! " — 
^  The  poor  little  Jackdaw, 
When  the  monks  he  saw, 
Feebly  gave  vent  to  the  ghost  of  a  caw ; 
And  turn'd  his  bald  head,  as  much  as  to  say, 
*'  Pray,  be  so  good  as  to  walk  this  way ! " 


[21] 


liOWt% 


And 


slower 
He  limp'd  on  before, 
Till  they  came  to  the  back  of 

the  belfry-door, 
Where  the  first  thing  they 
saw. 

Midst  the  stocks  and  the  straw. 
Was  the  RING,  in  the  nest  of  that  little 
Jackdaw ! 


[23] 


^  I   Lord  Cardinal  call'd  for  his 
book, 
And  off  that  terrible  curse  he 

took; 
The  mute  expression 
Served  in  lieu  of  confession, 
And,  being  thus  coupled  with  full  restitution, 
The  Jackdaw  got  plenary  absolution  ! 
—  When  those  words  were  heard, 
That  poor  little  bird 
Was  so  changed  in  a  moment,  't  was  really 
absurd : 


[25] 


t^    (5R^^rW  Sleek,  and 

fat; 
In  addition  to  that, 
A  fresh  crop  of  feathers  came 

thick  as  a  mat! 
His  tail  waggled  more 
Even  than  before ; 
But  no  longer  it  wagg'd  with  an  impudent  air, 
No  longer  he  perch'd  on  the  Cardinal's  chair. 


[27] 


&   JlOPP*i>    Now 

about 
With  a  gait  devout ; 
At  Matins,  at  Vespers,  he 

never  was  out ; 
And,  so  far  from  any  more 
pilfering  deeds, 
He  always  seem'd  telling  the  Confessor's 

beads. 
If  any  one  lied,  —  or  if  any  one  swore,  — 
Or  slumber'd  in  pray'r-time  and  happen'd 
to  snore. 
That  good  Jackdaw 
Would  give  a  great  "Caw!  " 
As  much  as  to  say,  "  Don't  do  so  any  more  ! " 
While  many  remark'd,  as  his  manners  they 

saw. 
That  they  "  never  had  known  such  a  pious 
Jackdaw ! " 


[29] 


pride 


Lived  the 


Of  that  country  side, 
And  at  last  in  the  odour  of 
K     sanctity  died ; 
""^  When,  as  words  were  too 
faint 
His  merits  to  paint, 
The  Conclave  determined  to  make  him  a 

Saint ; 
And  on  newly-made  Saints  and  Popes,  as  you 

know. 
It 's  the  custom,  at  Rome,  new  names  to 

bestow, 
So  they  canonized  him  by  the  name  of  Jem 
Crow! 


[31] 


[eDtoryoftfie 


The  story  of  the  Jackdaw  of  Rheims  is  to  be  found  in 
"Johan.  Wolfi  Lectionum  Memorabilium  Centenarii," 
vol.  1,  p.  216.  The  same  volume  contains  the  original 
story  of  Southey's  "  Pilgrims  of  Compostella  " ;  and  on 
the  same  page  with  the  latter  there  is  given  a  legend  of 
St.  Patrick,  who,  when  a  man  had  stolen  some  mut- 
ton, detected  the  thief  by  making  the  sheep  bleat  in 
his  inside.  (T.  L.) 


[33] 


In  writing  to  Mrs.  Hughes  on  the  29th  of  April,  1837, 
Mr.  Barham  refers  to  this,  probably  the  most  popular 
of  legends,  in  the  following  terms:  "  I  have  no  time  to  do 
more  for  this  number  [of  "  Bentley's  Miscellany  "]  than 
scratch  off  a  doggerel  version  of  an  old  Catholic  legend 
that  I  picked  up  out  of  a  high  Dutch  author.  I  am 
afraid  the  poor  'Jackdaw '  will  be  sadly  pecked  at.  Had 
I  more  time  I  meant  to  have  engrafted  on  it  a  story  I 
have  heard  Cannon  tell  of  a  magpie  of  his  acquaint- 
ance." The  story  is  given  at  length  in  the  "  Life  and 
Letters,"  vol,  2,  p.  21. 

In  a  subsequent  letter  to  Mr.  Bentley  he  says:  "I 
am  glad  you  like  the  'Jackdaw ' ;  it  was  struck  off  at  a 
heat  and  almost  in  despair,  when  I  found  it  impossible 
to  finish  the  other  article  [  "The  Spectre  of  Tapping- 
ton"  ?]  in  time." 

Happily  for  the  present  generation,  the  memory  of 
Mr.  Rice,  the  great  American  comedian,  and  his  in- 
terminable "nigger"  song,  "Jim  Crow,"  has  passed 
away.  The  time  was,  some  thirty  years  ago,  when  this 
fearful  composition  seemed  to  pervade  all  space.  It  was 
sung,  shouted,  howled,  and  danced — semper  ubique 
et  ab  omnibus !  A  certain  clever  scholar  of  the  Father 
Prout  variety  pronounced  it  a  plagiarism,  and  pro- 
fessed to  have  discovered  the  original  in  a  French 
chanson,  which  is  given  at  length  in  "Bentley's  Mis- 
cellany," April,  1839.  A  stanza  may  suffice  as  a  speci- 
men: — 

En  Amerique  j'ai  fait  des  sauts, 

En  Angleterre  aussi; 
En  France  j'irai  s'il  le  faut, 

Pour  sauter  quand  je  cris,  — 
Je  tourne,  re-toume,  je  caracole, 

Je  fais  des  sauts; 
Chacque  fois  je  fais  la  tour, 

Je  saute  "Jim  Crow." 


[34] 


The  audacity  of  the  famous  Jackdaw  of  Rheims  has 
been  equalled  if  not  excelled  at  Monkton  in  Kent.  Dur- 
ing the  divine  service  a  jackdaw  (now  belonging  to  Mr. 
Stapleton  Cotton)  made  its  way  into  the  church  with 
the  other  portion  of  the  congregation,  and  not  only 
took  a  lively  part  in  the  responses,  but  also  became 
exceedingly  talkative  at  other  times.  The  whole  con- 
gregation were  disposed  to  explode  with  merriment; 
the  clergyman  himself  with  difficulty  kept  a  serious 
face;  while  the  school  children  present  broke  out  into 
open  laughter.  Things  became  so  bad  that  the  clergy- 
man had  to  order  the  children  out  of  the  church.  Then 
an   effort   was  made  to  capture  the   intruder,   who 
had  perched  himself  boldly  upon  the   reading-desk. 
The  bird,  however,  was  not  to  be  caught,  and 
flew  to  the  rafters  above,  where  it  remained 
until  the  end  of  the  service,  still  continu- 
ing to  deliver  itself  of  more  or  less 
pertinent  expressions  of  opinion. 
("  St.  James's  Gazette,"  25th 
August,  1888.) 


[35] 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WIUU   BE   ASSESSED    FOR    FAILURE  TO    R^URN 
^ms    BOOK    ON    THE    DATE    DUE.    THE   PENALTY 

WILL  Increase  to  so  cents  on  the  fourth 

DAY     AND     TO     $1.00     ON     THE     SEVENTH     DAY 

overdue. 


;» 


<:S< 


M*^^ 


:■■;•./;*'■  ■^" 


^r^-^^r^ 


'■n--^ 


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